Sen. Jim Justice Is Exploring Another Run For Governor

Less than two years into his Senate term, Jim Justice is seriously considering launching a campaign to return to the governor’s mansion.

The West Virginia Republican is exploring a 2028 gubernatorial primary challenge to Gov. Patrick Morrisey, according to two people who have spoken directly with Justice about his deliberations and were granted anonymity to discuss them.

Justice, who served two terms as governor before winning a Senate seat in 2024, is “very seriously exploring” a bid to return for a third term, one of the people who spoke to Justice said.“I think he’s closer to running than not,” that person said. “If I had to give a percentage, I would think he’s 75 percent likely to do this.” Both people said Justice has not made a final decision.

Justice plans to discuss a potential run for governor when meeting with donors and political operatives during the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce’s business summit this week, according to one of the people familiar with his thinking. That business summit is being held at The Greenbrier, the historic resort that Justice has long owned. Another person working in West Virginia politics, who was granted anonymity to protect their relationships with officials, confirmed Justice’s planned meetings but not the topics of discussion.

Justice and Morrisey are both slated to speak at the Chamber of Commerce event on Thursday.

Spokespeople for Justice and Morrisey did not respond to requests for comment.

There are some signs Justice, who rose to prominence in West Virginia through his coal and real estate empire, doesn’t love Washington life: He commutes into the Capitol from West Virginia when the Senate is in session, often via private jet.

A Justice gubernatorial campaign would set up a major intraparty clash with Morrisey that could further entrench growing factions within the state GOP. Morrisey is a conservative hardliner, while Justice, who was originally elected to the governorship as a Democrat before dramatically announcing a party switch during a rally with President Donald Trump in 2017, is more closely aligned with the pro-business wing of the party.

And they’ve never been close. Justice endorsed Morrisey’s opponent, Moore Capito, the son of Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), in the 2024 gubernatorial primary.

Justice was heavily recruited by Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to take on then-Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin in the 2024 election, when he was closing in on the end of his second term as governor. West Virginia law restricts any governor from serving more than two consecutive terms, but has no limits on non-consecutive terms. Manchin opted to retire.

Morrisey unsuccessfully tried to unseat Manchin in 2018, and considered challenging Manchin again in 2024, but opted to run for governor instead before Justice announced his Senate bid.

Morrisey has continued to butt heads with the more-moderate wing of the state GOP in recent months. He led an aggressive bid to primary Republican state legislators in May, forcing out some Republicans who opposed his legislative agenda but failing to oust incumbents in other races. Justice did not weigh in on those races.

The tensions between the two broke into the public eye last week as Justice finalized an agreement to sell a controlling interest of the Greenbrier.

Morrisey celebrated the deal for bringing “much needed financial stability” to the resort, a dig that did not go unnoticed.

“Patrick seems awfully eager to take shots at people who actually take risks, build businesses and create jobs in West Virginia. I’ve spent my life doing exactly that — signing the front of paychecks for thousands of West Virginians, not just collecting one,” Justice responded. “My family saved The Greenbrier, invested hundreds of millions of dollars in West Virginia and helped put thousands of people to work. Now the resort has a strong new partner and a bright future. Patrick can keep playing politics. We’ll keep building.”

Morrisey fired back: “I wish you the best, but you can’t blame me or anyone else for your financial mismanagement in losing The Greenbrier. I hope you’ll join the Greenbrier's new leadership and me in keeping jobs in West Virginia while restoring the resort to its former glory.”

Justice has a history of levering his own personal wealth to fund his campaigns. He contributed $3.8 million of his own money to his 2016 gubernatorial campaign, and loaned $2.6 million to his reelection effort in 2020. But he didn’t contribute any of his own money to his 2024 campaign, and a 2025 Forbes analysis of his finances found him to owe more than $1 billion in liabilities as of last year.

Morrisey’s reelection campaign is expected to be well-funded. His political operation has $1.3 million in cash on hand, state campaign finance records show. The Club for Growth spent over $13 million for Morrisey in 2024, and the group’s president David McIntosh said in an interview last week that if Morrisey is challenged, “we are prepared to do what it takes to help him win again.”

“To beat Morrisey, [Justice is] going to have to run the best campaign he's ever run,” said West Virginia Republican strategist Greg Thomas, who is not working for either Justice or Morrisey. “He'll have to run a bigger, more comprehensive, well-funded effort to beat Morrisey than what he's had in past elections.”